Open Road

Pat Martino. A guitarist's guitarist. A musician's musician. Jazz legend. Open Road is a documentary of Pat Martino. It is the story of the difficult road back from a brain aneurysm that nearly killed and left him without memory or the ability to play his guitar. Les Paul remarked upon hearing the 11 year old Martino, "that he was tempted to ask Pat for lessons." George Benson upon first arriving in New York and hearing Pat at Small's Paradise said, "they came to a break in the music, and this guitar leaped out of nowhere, playing some of the most incredible lines I had ever heard. It had everything in it: great tone, great articulation and the whole crowd - it was a black audience - they went crazy. And I said to myself, 'If this (playing) is a sample of what New York is like, I'm getting out of here.'" The road takes us to exciting performances at Ethel's Place and to Pat's comeback gig at New York's Bottom Line. Martino is captured giving a guitar lesson; working in the studio recording new music; philosophizing about music and life; providing an in-depth glimpse into the creative genius of this jazz guitar legend. Open Road covers the whole road: The complete Martino. Also included is a bonus guitar lesson with the master and additional interviews with George Benson, Steve Khan and the late Michael Hedges and Emily Remler. NTSC all region, 120 minutes.